Draft-gear for railway rolling-stock.



No. 678,80I. Patented July 16, I901. C. VANDEBBILT.

DRAFT GEAR FOB RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK/ lication fixed Mar. 15, 1900.

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' No. 678,80l. Patented July l6, |9o|. c. VANDERBILT.

DRAFT GEAR FOR RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK.

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hZZeJaaS; fave/a551," 8W, 24%147 No. 678,80l. Patented July l6, l90l. C. VANDERBILT.

DRAFT GEAR FDR RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK.

( Model.) (Application filed Mar. 15, 1900.) 4 eets s e 3.

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YANDERBILT. DRAFT GEAR FOB RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK.

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UNlTED STATES PATENT FFLCE.

CORNELIUS VANDERBIL T, OF NEWV YORK, N. Y.

DRAFT-GEAR FOR RAILWAY ROLLING-STOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 678,801, dated July 16, 1901. Original application filed December 11,1899, Serial No. 739,935. Divided and this application filed March 15,1900. Eicrial (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CORNELIUS VANDER- BILT, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft-Gears for Railway Rolling-Stock, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the subject-matter disclosed in an application for patent for improvements in tank-cars and the like filed by me on the 11th day of December, 1899, Serial No. 739,935, of which the present case is a division; and the special improvement recited herein relates to a new and improved draft-gear as applied to said tank-car or its equivalent and which may be advantageously employed in other relations.

The main feature of my present invention,

which may have application to other forms of cars, but which has especial virtues in con nection with the construction shown and described in the before-mentioned application, resides in dispensing with the usual connection of the draft-rigging with the car-framin g and applying it to the body-bolster or some such equivalent element of the car, and providing such arrangements that the primary or initial pull or thrust in either direction will be taken upon a spring or set of springs, which, after being compressed, will transfer the pull or push to the body-bolster, and when the strain in every direction is abnormal the draft-rigging is adapted to come in contact with a part of the end sills or other appropriate part of the car-body, whereby the excessive or abnormal strain is taken from the body-bolster and transferred to the car-frame and the body-bolster relieved therefrom.

My invention therefore relates to the many details of construction and combination of parts and subcombinations thereof, all of which will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure l is a sectional elevation of an end portion of a truck, car, and tank embodying the hereinafter described improvements. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of a car-framing, showing the application of my improved draft-rigging thereto. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the draft-rigging, a portion of the draw-bar being broken off. Fig. t is a longitudinal sectional elevation on a horizontal plane indicated by lines o 0, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view. Fig. 6 is ascotional elevation on the line a: 00, through the buffer-block; Fig. 7, an. end elevation of the draw-iron rear casting and section through the draw-bar. Fig. 8 is a sectional elevation'of the draw-bar rear casting, taken substantially on the plane of the line 1 1 Fig. 3. Fig. 9 is a sectional elevation substantially on the line .2 ,2, Fig. 3, showing the construction of the draw-bar collar; and Figs. 10 and 11 are respectively side views of the collar-section detached.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The car-bod y to which I have specifically applied myinvention (in the manner recited in the application before referred to) comprises a tank 1, mounted upon the truck 2 through the instrumentality of the body-bolster 3 and lining 4, the latter being secured to the wings 5, and to the bolster are secured I-beams 6, the bolster having the end flanges 7 8 inclined to the vertical and which are secured to the webs 9 of the I-beams. The I- beams or side sills are thus connected transversel y by the body-bolster and by intermediate body-bolsters 10 of a like construction. The I-beams are transversely secured ortied together at their ends by the plural end or cross sills ll 12, which in the described construction, in addition to their other function of forming an end platform for the car, serve as a means for supporting the forward end of the draft-rigging and the transference of the pull or strain from the body-bolster to the carframe.

As already stated, the draft-rigging is secured primarily to the body-bolster, so that the initial pull or push will be taken up by it, subject, however, to the intermediate action of a spring or nest of springs located in the draw-bar rigging, the excessive pull or push being transferred to an element of the body-frame, thereby relieving the bolster of the greater or the major portion of any undue strain due to excessive action in hauling.

Fig. 3,

' the buffing or abutment surface and which consists of two vertical webs 14 and two cross strengthening-webs 15 16, the upper portion of the block being recessed at 17 to secure lightness of structure and provided with a horizontally-disposed flange 18. The top portion of the block extends between the two end sills 11 12, Figs. 1 and 2, and the flange 18 is bolted to thehorizontal webs 19 of the end sills, as indicated in Fig. 1, the upright front and rear webs 20 of the block being bolted to the vertical webs 21 of the end sills. This connection firmly secures both end sills together centrally, and to strengthen this connection and at the same time provide a platform which strengthens the frame at the end a sheet of metal 22 is let in between the flange 18 of the block and disposed over the end.

sills in Fig. 1, it being omitted from Fig. 2 for clearness of illustration of the latter, the plate 22 being apertured to allow the block 13 to pass through it.

At 23 is the draw-head or coupler of the usual or any desired construction, from which extends the draw-bar 24, having at its rear end an enlargement or head 25. At 26 is a three-part strap or draw-iron comprising the longitudinally-disposed web 27 and a vertical rear connecting-web 28, the front portion of the horizontal webs being flanged or lipped and extending inwardly toward each other, as at 29, the enlargement of the draw--bar lying within the forward end of the strap or draw-iron, the lips 29 engaging the shoulder 30, formed by the enlargement, and rivets 31 pass through the horizontal webs and enlargement to firmly secure them together, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, the strap being loosely supported by the front and rear springheads 32 33,. provided with nipples 34 for retaining the springs 35 (indicated in dotted. lines) of the desired resistance. To support the draw-bar in its proper position of alinement, the lower aperture 36 in the block is' incased by the three-part strap 37, which embraces the sides 14 of the block, the bottom of the aperture forming a support and guide for the draw-bar, the upright Web 38 of the strap being bolted to the block, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 6, the cross-web 39 supporting the draw-bar.

To firmly secure the draft-rigging to the body-bolster, I employ a casting, as 40, more clearly shown in Figs. 3,4, and 5, which comprises the rear or base plate 41, flanged at 42 and firmly secured to the front upright web 43 of the body-bolster, as shown in Fig. 1, both at the base-plate and flanges, from which base-plate extends forwardly the parallel guide-arms 44, provided with inside arms 45 and shoulders 46 to form guides and stops and to movably support the ends of the spring heads or blocks 32 33. All of these parts except the blocks 32 and 33 are preferably cast integral, the base-plate being disposed partially on a circle in order to more readily take the curve of the bolster 3 and to fit under the forward wings 5, as clearly shown in Figs. 1, 7, and 8.

As an incident to the general construction I have provided means whereby the entire draw-bar and its springs can be expeditiously removed for repair or replacement. To this end I have employed the strap 37, previously described, which is detachably secured to the buffer or abutment block by bolts 47, and have likewise formed the lower flange of the guideways 45 detachable by securing a piece of plate 46 to the under side of each of the guide-arms 44 to form the lower surface of the guideways. This bar is secured underneath the guide-arms by bolts 47, as clearly shown in Figs. 3, 5, 7, and 8, the bolts passing through the guide-arms, preferably.

It will be clear from the foregoing that means are provided for efiectivel-yiconnect or abutment '13 to allow of ample normal play of the draw-rigging, which normal play of course is determined by the amount of compression or relaxation allowed for the springs, and should any part of the draw-rigging to the rear of the rear collar 49 or the springs break or become inactive or the strain be excessive in either direction of the movement of the draw-bar these collars will take a bearing against either surface of the abutment-block, depending upon which direction the motion of the draw-bar is, and thereby transfer the strain from the bodybolster to the frame. -Any suitable form of collar can be used; but I prefer for the purpose of economy in assemblage and replacement in the event of breakage to employ a made-up collar comprising U-shaped castings, the webs 5O 51 of which embrace one side and approximately one-half of the top and bottom of the drawbar, with intermediate enlargements 52 on the vertical web 50 to allow for the formation of holes through which pass rivets 53, securing both of the collar-sections t0 the draw-bar, as clearly indicatedin Fig. 4, either of the collars abutting against the buffer-block and transferring the strain of hauling or pulling or any other strain incidental to the evolutions of the car when excessive to the car-frame.

I desire to have it clearly understood that I do not limit myself to the application of the present improvements to a tank or other form of car constructed as described in this or the before-mentioned application, as it is clear that these improvements may have beneficial application to cars otherwise constructed, and as to these improvements they may be considerably modified and otherwise embodied without departing from the spirit of my invention.

IIaving described my invention, I claim- 1. The combination with the body-bolster, end sills and abutment-block, of the drawbar secured to the bolster, and movably supported by the abutment-blocks, and stops in the draw-bar for engagement with the abut= ment-block in either direction of movement of the draw-bar.

2. In a railway-car, the combination with the body-bolster and frame, of a draft-rigging set to resist a predetermined pulling or pushing strain, consisting of an abutment-block having downwardly and laterally projecting webs, a draw-bar one end of which is supported beneath said laterally-projectin g webs and between said depending webs, the other end of said draw-baradapted to be detachably secured to said body-bolster, substantially as described.

3. In a railway-car draft-rigging, the com= bination with the body-bolster and frame, of a draw-bar secured to said body-bolster, an abutment-block, provided with a recessed upper portion, secured to the end sills of said frame and provided with downwardly-projecting side webs and lateral cross -webs, forming a transverse aperture for receiving the said draw-bar, a strap detachabl y secured to the said side webs for movably supporting the forward end of said draw-bar, and stops on the draw-bar for engagement with the abutment-block in either direction of movement of the draw-bar, substantially as described.

4. In a railway-car, the combination with the body-bolster, side sills and end sills, of an abutment-block provided with a laterallyextending flange and downwardly-projecting side webs, the said laterally-extendin g flange adapted to be secured to said end sills, a drawbar movably supported at one end between said downwardly-projecting webs and detachably seeured at its other end to said body-bolster, and means, secured to said draw-bar on either side of said abutment-block, engaging with said downwardly-projecting webs for transferring the pulling or pushing strain from said body-bolster to said abutmentblock and end sills, when in excess of a predetermined limit, substantially as described.

5. In a railway-car, the combination with the body-bolster and side sills, of a pair of end sills at each end of the car tying said side sills, an abutment-block having a laterallyprojecting flange secured to the top of said end sills, and downwardlyprojecting side webs passing between the said end sills, and a draw-bar secured at one end to said bodybolster, and at its other end movably supported between the downwardly-projecting webs of the abutment-block, substantially as described.

6. In a railway-car, the combination with the body-bolster and side sills, of a pair of end sills tying the ends of said side sills, an apertured plate secured to the top of said end sills, an abutment-block, havinga flanged top resting on and secured to said plate and end sills, provided with depending side webs adapted to pass through said apertured plate between said end sills, a draw-bar secured at one end to said body-bolster and movably supported at its other end between said depending webs, and means secured to said. drawbar adapted to engage with said abutmentblock for transferring excessive strain from said body-bolster to the car-frame, substantially as described.

7. In a railway-car, the combination with the bod y-bolster, side and end sills, of a draftrigging set to resist a predetermined pulling or pushing strain consisting of an abutmentblock secured to said end sills, a draw-iron secured to said body-bolster, a draw-bar movably supported at one end by said abutment block and flexibly secured at its other end to said draw-iron, and means provided on said d raw-bar for transferring the excessive strain from said body-bolster to said end sills, substantially as described.

8. The combination with the draw-bar, of the pendent abutment-block having a transverse aperture for receiving the draw-bar, a strap detachably secured to the abutmentblock, and forming the base of said aperture, a draw-iron having outwardly-extending arms provided with grooves, plates detachably secured to the arms to close the grooves, cross spring plates or caps passing through the draw-bar and extending into the grooves, springs interposed between the latter plates, the detachable attachment of the strap and plates to the abutment-block and draw-iron, permitting the draw-bar the spring-plates and springs to be bodily and downwardly detached from their support.

9. The draw-iron having a lateral flange, and longitudinally disposed and grooved guide-a1 ms laterally disconnected beyond the flange, and laterally-disconnected plates detachably secured to the under side of the arms to form separable guideways therein.

10. The draw-iron comprising the flange all having the outwardly-extending disconnected arms 44, the groove 45 formed in the arms, combined with the disconnected plates 46 detachably secured to the arms to complete the groove.

11. The abutment-block provided with the IIO pendent webs 14 disconnected at the base, a

and the cross-web 15 forming a transverse abutment-block and supportingthe draw-bar v therein.

12. A draw-bar having thecollars secured I thereto, said collars comprising the uprights 50 and lips 51. J

13. The draw-bar provided with sectional collars, comprising the uprights 50, angular lips 51, and lugs 52, and means passing through the lugs to securethe lugs and drawbar, to secure the sections thereon.

14. A draw-bar, combined with a sectional collar, each section comprisinga full-length upright, and a portional-length lip, both sections beiugsecured in .diametrical alinement to the draw-bar.

Signed in the city, county, and State of New York this 12th day of March, 1900.

CORNELIUS VANDERBILT. Witnesses:

DE 1 LILLIS, S. -F. TAYLOR. 

